Cooking Big – A Clean Eater’s Strategy

A steaming bowl of gluten-free spaghetti bathed in my favorite marinara. The fact that it materialized on the table in a mere 10 minutes is thanks to an Army-sized portion of spaghetti I made two weeks ago. My family and I had a pasta craving, so I turned a box of spaghetti and jar of sauce into a comforting dinner served with a salad.

As I peered into the stock pot before taking it to the sink for a scrubbing, I noticed there were leftovers. Not a huge amount, but leftovers nonetheless. There was a time, a number of years ago, when I would have simply vaccumed them up with the nearest spoon, preceded by rationales such as, I wasn’t completely stuffed, or scarfing them down would be quicker than foraging the cupboard for storage containers.

Those days are gone. I’m much more honest with myself these days, about what I really need and what I really want. An extra serving of gluten-free pasta certainly isn’t going to send me over the edge. But little habits like disappearing the leftovers down my gullet lead to a cumulative effect, which in my experience, has led to pesky little things like trance-eating being cemented into my behavioral groove.

Despite what you may be thinking (or eye-rolling) I’m not trying to come across ultra-virtuous. I routinely preach till I’m blue in the face that excess weight, overeating, and eating moderately, are NOT moral issues. I’m simply sharing a few secrets regarding practicality with this posting.

Presto!

So back to this afternoon’s succulent lunch: it all happened because I found the perfect pairing for the leftover spaghetti: two ceramic individual casserole dishes. Freezer-safe, I knew it was the perfect plan for banking a ready-made meal that would taste as though I’d slaved away at the stove, take minimal time to prepare, and be the perfect portion size.

These particular ceramic gems were found at an Odd Lots, and were dirt cheap. You can get individual casserole dishes in any housewares department or online. They are so handy to have around – trust me! They’ve turned leftover vegetables, Risotto, Beef Stroganoff, and Chili into cauldrons of quick comfort…in less time than it takes to order a pizza or wait in a drive-thru line.

If you work at home, you’ve got it made in the shade. And if you rely on the community kitchen at the office, then it’s time to make friends with your toaster oven.